Welcome to the Hog Blog, a blog chronicling minor-league baseball in the Lehigh Valley. Tom Housenick, The Morning Call's IronPigs beat writer, has been at The Morning Call since 2008. In a previous lifetime, he was at Lackawanna County Stadium in Moosic talking with future Phillies Jimmy Rollins, Pat Burrell, Shane Victorino and Ryan Howard, among many others.
He’ll now be spending his summers in search of who the Phillies are hoping to be the next Chase Utley and Cole Hamels plus any outfielder who catch and hit. What he really hopes to find are the next Mariano Rivera, Todd Helton and Jim Thome --- great human beings who happened to be great at this sport.
He spent the last five years covering Colonial League football, college basketball and high school track & field.

Did you ever want to celebrate your birthday or another event by playing a pick-up game on a professional baseball field?

Or see your picture up on the scoreboard?

The Reading Fightin' Phils are giving you your chance.

Anyone who purchases tickets for the upcoming season on Wednesday -- the first day of single-game ticket sales -- will be entered in the team's "Win FirstEnergy Stadum for a Day" contest, with the prize the "keys" to the ballpark for "unbridled" access to the clubhouse and playiing field for you and 50 friends for three hours.

The package also includes an all-you-can-eat buffet and open bar at the pool deck along with the option to utilize the video board, public address announcer and mascots for your "baseball, kickiball or softball" game on the field.

Customers will receive one entry for each ticket purchased between 12 a.m. and 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday. Single-game tickets go on sale at midnight Wednesday via Fightins.com. The stadium ticket office opens at 8:30 a.m. for walk-up and phone orders.

“For the first time in our storied history, we’re handing the keys to FirstEnergy Stadium to a member of our passionate fan base,” general manager Scott Hunsicker said in a press release. “All you need to do is purchase any type of tickets for the 2013 season---single-game, mini-plan, or group tickets---on Wednesday to be entered for this priceless opportunity.”